Winds up to 52 mph deliver blow to area

Strong winds of up to 52 mph thrashed Lubbock on Friday evening, interrupting power to some homes and pelting cars and buildings with dirt.

Lubbock police Cpl. Dan Bryant said the wind overturned stop signs and downed a light pole. Much of the damage, he said, was concentrated in the south and southwest parts of town.

Don A. Boatman, division superintendent of Southwestern Public Service Co., said about 30 homes lost power Friday night. He said trees were the likely culprits, swaying in the wind and catching service lines to individual homes.

''We haven't had any big problems,'' Boatman said. ''We're not going to leave anybody out of lights.''

Brent Heath, distribution superintendent of Lubbock Power and Light, said there were scattered power outages. He said about 75 people called to report problems.

Crews from both companies were attending to the problems.

The wind also affected some high school football games in the area. At least one game started late because of the wind, and another game was suspended after it started.

Coahoma and Tahoka high schools were scheduled to resume play at noon today. Coahoma had taken a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

The National Weather Service received no reports of serious damage, said Scott Wiley, a weather service meteorologist. Wiley said the strong winds associated with a front that pushed through Lubbock on Friday evening peaked at 52 mph at 7:41 p.m.

Wiley said he was expecting 15-25 mph gusts, with showers and thunderstorms throughout the night.

The front is expected to bring cooler temperatures, with a high of only 50 forecast for today.